South Elgin seniors scammed into paying for 'computer repairs' with gift cards; one loses $30,000

A scam in which South Elgin seniors were asked to purchase gift cards to pay for computer repairs over the phone resulted in one resident being bilked out of about $30,000 and another losing $200, police said.

The thieves represented themselves as tech company officials who notified the residents they had a computer virus that could be removed if the victim purchased gift cards and provided them the numbers to pay for the work, South Elgin Deputy Police Chief Randy Endean said.

If someone has a gift card number, they can use the information to make purchases or to sell to a third party, Endean said.

In the case in which $30,000 was stolen, the scammer posed as a Google representative and told the victim her computer was infected by a virus, Sgt. Mike Doty said. It could be fixed if the victim purchased Google Play cards and provided the caller with the card numbers, Doty said.

Over the course of several months, the scammer would keep calling back with new problems supposedly found in the victim’s computer and persuaded her to keep buying the cards in order for repairs to be made, Doty said.

That scam began in March and was discovered only after a family member came in from out of state to find out why the victim was suddenly having financial problems, he said.

In the second case, the caller posed as a Microsoft agent who also told the elderly resident his computer was infected with a virus and needed Google Play cards to have them removed, Doty said. The man initially paid the caller $200 but refused to purchase any more cards when the same person called a week later and asked for another $300, he said.

“The South Elgin Police Department would like to remind citizens and the community to talk with their elderly family members about these types of scams and how they would affect them financially,” Doty said in a prepared statement.

“Ask your family members the following questions: Are you sending money because: The IRS is coming to arrest you? Your utilities will be shut off? Your loved one is hurt or in jail? You received a check, but must send some funds back? You need to pay for a service using gift card numbers?” Doty said.

“The most important question is: Have I ever paid one of these bills or services with a gift card?” he said. “If they are asking for a gift card, it is a scam. How often do you pay a bill with a gift card — that is for something you want for yourself, not to pay someone for something.”

Previously, GreenDot and iTunes gift cards have been requested by the scammers, he said. The Google Play cards are the newest thing being requested as a means of bilking people out of money, Doty said.

The victimization is in some ways similar to what happens in cases of domestic abuse, Endean said.

“They apply pressure and more pressure. They keep taking advantage of and controlling that person and the decisions they make,” he said. “We shake our heads but we are not in their shoes.”

There are probably more incidents than have been reported because the victims are embarrassed to admit they were scammed, Doty said.

“They can’t believe they were duped into something,” he said. “It’s not just in the near term but long term that it will affect them for many, many years.”